Posts tagged "sewing tutorials

Tag Archives: sewing tutorials

Now zippers need hold no fears for any of us!

The whole world of zips is one that conjures up fear and dread, even amongst some more experienced sewists. But fear not! Help is at hand in the form of some of the best how-tos and zip sewing tutorials in internet land.

We start off with a really straightforward one, then gradually immerse you in ever more specialist examples – some are more challenging than others!

Enjoy!

Sew a lace zipper tutorial tutorial

So let us take you by the hand and lead you very gently into zipper land. This nice, gentle and not at all stressful start is by Ali on the Lorelei Jayne website.

Some of us do have a number of lace zips hanging around. And even if you don’t, this is a nice, straightforward, well presented start.

Top tip:“Before starting I recommend giving your zip a light press with the iron to ensure it sits flat.”

How to sew a zipper: zipper pouch tutorial

Having broken you in gently, as it were, we’ve now come up with a more involved how-to – in the shape of this excellent piece by Rochelle Freeman on the really cool (does anyone use that word any more?)Seams and Scissors website.

Firstly, this piece has introduced us to the word “Semptress” (check it out) and really brings across what we all feel when confronted with the dreaded “zip” – or “zipper“ for those of an American persuasion.

“Easy, Simple, Painless, no word in the dictionary has squelched the fears created by the thought of installing zippers in projects in the mind of the home Semptress!”

Don’t panic! Rochelle takes you by the hand to fearlessly confront the whole otherwise terrifying world of the dreaded zip!

Sneaky tip:“One solution is to put tabs or little pieces of fabric on the end of the zipper”.

Cute, fun and rather addictive. Welcome to the strange world of the Easter bunny…

You might just have a few days to spare over the Easter break. Hurrah!

The trouble is, the weather forecast isn’t as good as it might be, so what better way of indulging in your favourite pursuit than getting out the sewing machine and trying some Easter bunny projects?

You’d better get moving – there are only a few days to go. So enjoy these fun and even downright wacky sewing projects…

Easter bunny bags tutorial

An excellent place to start is the Jude Designs website. These lovely bags are a great way to present a gift to friends and family – especially if they’re a fan of chocolate (don’t get us started…).

A very detailed and straightforward how-to with plenty of wonderfully clear images.
There’s a useful ear template to download, helping with one of the trickiest parts of the project.

Be aware: if the ears aren’t right it will look very strange – hence the template!

Bunny face bag tutorial

This is one we’ve used ourselves – the excellent Bunny face bag project on the always entertaining Sew Very blog.

It’s quite simple, but you do need to pay close attention to this one. There’s a free template to download, but you will need to register first.

Alternatively, try out your own templates by making the key parts in paper first and trying them out. You may find that your first couple of attempts look rather strange, but stick with it and you will be able to make this project your own.

Top tip: the positioning of the eyes is particularly important!

Roly poly fabric easter bunnies

Another one where the tiniest eyes and mouth detail can make the difference between “cute” and “strange” – and we much prefer the former!

Simple and straightforward, the tutorial photos are lovely – and you’ll just keep smiling every time you look at all those bunny faces!

Be warned – these things are addictive and we can’t quite work out why.

When you’ve made one, you’ll quite like the idea of making another – and another…

Spring bunny tutorial

We love the Sew Mamma Sew website – and the latest project to excite us came with this Spring bunny how-to.

A free downloadable template gives you a very sound start (just click – no need to register to download). Be aware that the templates do not include a seam allowance – so you can make bunnies of varying sizes from the same pattern by enlarging or reducing the original file to suit.